


Safe with You

by Galaxypancakes



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Child Armin Arlert, Child Eren Yeager, Child Mikasa Ackerman, Cute Kids, Flower Crowns, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Minor Violence, No Plot/Plotless
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 17:37:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19873474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galaxypancakes/pseuds/Galaxypancakes
Summary: Almost a year after Mikasa's parents died, Eren decides to take her to a meadow. Together with Armin, they make flower crowns and use the flowers to express their thoughts about each other.





	Safe with You

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone! After everything that's happened in the manga I just want to write a cute happy fic about EMA as kids. Everything was fine back then compared to now and I miss it.
> 
> I also wanted to experiment with writing in first person, as I had difficulty writing in third person in my BNHA fic. I will try my best to continue that one, though!
> 
> And finally, the first bit is when Eren and Mikasa met for the first time and he saved her. That part is violent (as we all know haha) so if you want to skip it by all means please do!
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

I watched in horror as I saw him being held up by his neck by one of the men who killed my parents.

"DID YOU DO THIS?" The man screamed at him. "I'll kill you! I'm gonna butcher you!"

My mind was screaming for me to do something, but my feet stayed in the same spot, my quivering hands trying to keep hold of the knife. 

"Fight!" The boy managed to choke out. I realised he was talking to me. "You must fight! If you win, you live. If you lose, you die. If you don't fight, you can't win!" 

He was starting to lose consciousness and his breaths were getting weaker.

In that moment, I realised...I've seen this scene before.

Over and over again. 

It was always happening right in front of me, but I pretended not to notice it.

In the fields with my mother, watching one insect eat another as I collected berries. My father coming home, a dead duck in his grip. 

That's right...this world is merciless.

You can only survive in it if you are strong. To be strong, you need to abandon your weaknesses. You need to abandon everything that makes you human. 

Suddenly, my body stopped shaking. From that moment on, I could perfectly control myself. I thought I could do anything. 

I felt a surge of energy spreading throughout my body, strengthening my grip on the knife. That was when I vowed to save the life of the boy who saved mine, and to end the life of the monster who stole everything that was precious to me.

_Fight!_

I started to run towards the towering figure, anger and hatred coursing through my veins.

_Fight!_

He barely managed to turn his head before I plunged the knife into his back. He screamed in agony, but I didn't care. He deserved it. 

_FIGHT!_

How many times did I stab him? Eight? Twenty? I didn't care. After what seemed like hours, his lifeless body finally fell to the floor, releasing the boy. I pulled out the knife and watched as blood continued to spurt out and pool around the corpse. I let out a deep breath and felt the adrenaline in my fingertips slowly fade away.

_I just killed someone._

That realisation triggered a sick feeling in my stomach as the reality of the situation started to sink in. My parents were gone and there was nothing I could do about it. I had to sit down and process everything that happened. I tried to hold back a sob, but it was no use. Tears started to prick my eyes and my vision went blurry as they rolled down my face into my hands, mixing with the blood on them. 

My eyelids started to feel heavy, so I closed my eyes. I hugged my knees to my chest and buried my head between them. I was too tired and full of grief to do anything else.

_I don't want to be here._

_I want to leave and never return._

The darkness seemed to swallow me and I let it take me away. Away from all this pain.

At least for now. 

\---

_Mikasa!_

I felt a hand shake my shoulder, forcing me to open my eyes. They were met with a pair of blue-green ones, staring at me with slight worry. 

"Oh...hi Eren," I smiled up at him. He, however, did not smile back. 

"Are you okay?" He asked. "You were talking in your sleep again. Bad dream?" 

"...yeah. But don't worry about it." 

He gave me a smile this time, but it was a sad one. He knew very well that it was far from okay, but he decided it was best not to ask.

"Come on then. Armin's here." He reached for my hand and helped me up from the ground. I didn't really want to leave yet. Sitting in the shade was a perfect place to escape the sun's intense heat. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, and the trees and flowers had such vibrant colours. Every day I think about what would've happened if Eren hadn't saved me. Where would I be now? Would I have ever seen the sun again? I didn't want to have these thoughts, but they constantly came back. I'm so thankful that I wasn't met with the same fate as my parents.

As we started walking, a soft breeze swept through the long grass, making it tickle my legs. Soon I saw Armin racing through the meadow, waving at us excitedly. 

"Hi, Mikasa! Hi, Eren!" 

By the time he reached us, he was out of breath and his cheeks were a rosy red. He was clutching a huge book, probably as thick as both of my forearms. No wonder he was so tired. He placed it on the grass for a moment, bending over to rest his hands on his knees and lowering his head. Closing his eyes, he tried to catch his breath. After a few seconds he finally looked up and gave us a smile, his eyes bright. 

"I brought the book on flowers, I've been drawing and collecting some for a while now. My mum drew a guide on how to make flower crowns as well! It's at the back. Want to see?" 

"Sure!" Eren replied. I nodded, not saying anything but I was really excited. All this time I lived in the countryside, yet I've never managed to make a proper flower crown without it falling apart. Now that I have friends to make one with, it seemed that it would be more fun and less frustrating. The diagrams in Armin's book looked like they could hold quite well, with multiple stems and loops keeping it together. I think it will definitely last longer this time. 

"Let's start with the bigger flowers. The smaller ones can be weaved in later. These ones tend to have longer stems, so we'll start with those. Shall we start looking for some?" Armin glanced in my direction, his piercing blue eyes reminding me of the ocean he has told us countless times about. 

I smiled at him, and felt all of my worries immediately wash away.

"Yes."

\---

We sat around a huge basket of flowers. Earlier it was filled with bread and fruit. Mrs Jaeger insisted that we take some food for lunch, which we ate before searching for the flowers. Ever since the Survey Corps managed to kill the titans in this territory, we have been allowed to go a little further out on our short trips, but still within sight of the walls. Nevertheless, our curiosity still lingers. Day by day, humanity is getting closer to finding out what lies beyond the walls and finally seeing the ocean. Yet at the same time, I feel like we're still so far away. 

I looked at Armin, who was trying to help Eren with his flower crown. 

"Armin?" Armin turned his attention towards me and Eren let out a frustrated sigh, finally being left to work at his own pace. 

"Yeah?" 

"How long do you think it will be until we finally see the ocean?" 

He looked back at the flower crown, continuing to make the loops. 

"I don't know. But we will definitely be there to see it. I just know it." 

Eren gave up and decided to join in on the conversation. 

"Once we get there, though, what will happen next?" I replied. "Will there be more titans? More things that could threaten our existence? I want us to see the rest of the world, but I also want us to be safe. There's no telling what could happen. We know practically nothing."

"You're not wrong," Eren said. "There are probably more enemies waiting for us. But there's not much we can do. When it happens, we just need to be ready to face whatever comes our way. Otherwise we will never be free if we aren't willing to put anything at risk."

Armin looked at us both. "Are you...still planning to join the Survey Corps?" 

"Eren is. So I am too. I tried to change his mind, but it hasn't worked." I stared at my hands. The thought of getting them stained in blood again made my stomach churn. 

_But it won't be people I'm killing...it will be titans._

_It will be okay._

_I can do this._

"Well then...I suppose I'm going with you as well. It's a huge risk, but...we're going to see the ocean together, no matter what." His eyes followed three birds that were flying over us until he could no longer see them. He gazed longingly at the hills and trees, stretching beyond the horizon and sighed, his eyes filled with pain. In a matter of minutes those birds will probably see more of the world than we will in months. It wasn't fair. I could tell that Armin and Eren were thinking the same. We sat in silence for a few minutes, each of us left to wonder about what will happen to us and the rest of humanity, how much will actually change. After a while, Armin decided to change the subject. I didn't know how long I'd be able to handle those thoughts if he hadn't.

"Mikasa, I made this for you." He picked up one of the crowns he had been working on and smiled as he placed it on my head. It looked thick and heavy in his hands, but it was surprisingly soft and light, yet strong. I felt like it was protecting me in some way. From what, I do not know.

"Eren, I made one for you too. You can leave that one for now if you want. You'll get the hang of it. Here." Eren gratefully accepted the one Armin made him and tossed his flimsy unfinished one into the grass.

"It was meant to be for you, Armin," he mumbled. He crossed his arms and scowled at the ground as if it was the ground's fault that he failed to make a crown by himself. He had used his fingernails to make slits in the stems rather than using the stems as loops like it showed in the guide.

"Thanks Eren. It's alright, I'm happy that you're trying! Come on, let's have another look and work on it together..." I watched as Armin carefully lifted the tangled mess as if it was a small injured creature and gently placed it on his lap. His thin, delicate fingers made the whole process look easy. Eren crossed his legs, rested his elbows on his knees and leaned his head on his hands, mesmerised by how swiftly Armin managed to turn what we thought would be a hopeless, fragile tragedy into a work of art. It was beautiful.

I was so entranced by the movement of his hands that I almost didn't hear the question he asked me.

"Mikasa?"

"Huh?"

He giggled before continuing. "I asked how are you doing with your flower crown?"

"Oh! Yes, I've finished. This one is for you." I handed him the one I had made and waited to see his reaction.

Armin's mum taught him the names of some wildflowers and the meanings behind them. Of course, the first thing he wanted to do was to teach us as well. The first two that I picked were yarrow and goldenrod.

_Love and encouragement._

It is what Armin needs and deserves. After what happened to me, he and Eren were the first two people to bring happiness back into my life. He doesn't seem to notice how important he is to us, always hopeful and putting others before himself. He gave me encouragement when I needed it most, but he needs it too. His kindness and selflessness were perceived by others as weaknesses, but we knew he was anything but that.

We often had to stop other kids in our neighbourhood from abusing him for his belief that there is a future for us beyond the walls.

_ "We're going to explore the outside world someday. Far beyond these walls, there's flaming water, land made of ice, and fields of sand spread wide. It's the world my parents want to go to."  _

Armin always refused to fight back physically, only with words because he knew that they could only resort to physical abuse because they couldn't prove that he is wrong. His strength lies in his words and I have always admired him for that. Nevertheless, I believe he is in need of protection which is why I put mullein. He is a strong individual in his own way, but Eren and I will always be by his side. I hope he understands.

There are violets in his crown for wisdom. His intelligence and temperament surpasses that of any other kid in Shiganshina and I don't think he is appreciated enough for that, but Eren and I know he deserves so much more. Daisies for innocence.

And finally, a cornflower for fortune and our friendship.

His eyes filled with tears and he leaned forward to hug me.

"Thank you," he whispered. I felt his tears drop on my shoulder, but I didn't mind. I was glad he understood how much he meant to us. He noticed my shoulder was wet and quickly sat back.

"Oh no! Um...sorry Mikasa. I think I overreacted a bit there." He laughed and quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "But it really is beautiful. I love it. And Eren...the flowers you picked are wonderful as well. You put a lot of thought into it, I can tell."

Eren blushed and smiled as Armin gave him a hug too.

"...I'm glad you like it."

I looked at the flowers Eren had chosen. Upon closer inspection, it seems that Eren and I have similar thoughts about Armin.

Like me, he had put agrimony. _We are thankful._

White clover. _We are thinking of you._

Goldenrods and violets were there too, and...

Celandine. _Joys to come._

I agree with Eren on all of those, though I completely forgot about celandines. I hope that what he is trying to say will be true, that there is a bright future ahead. But as Eren said before, we don't know anything about the outside world. All we can really do is be ready to face anything and remain resilient.

That reminded me of the crown I had made for Eren which was still on my lap. I had made it whilst Armin was trying to fix Eren's one. There were three black-eyed Susans for justice, which I know he is striving for every day for all three of us. Geranium for the determination he always displays to keep us hopeful and motivated. Vetch for his resilience, valerian for his readiness to protect us at all costs and of course yarrow and a cornflower, just like I did for Armin. 

I think it was time I gave it to him.

"Eren...this one is for you." I quickly leaned forward and put it on his head. I sat back down and looked the other way as I felt my cheeks go really warm. 

_Why am I so embarrassed?_

_I hope he likes it._

_Will he understand what I'm trying to say?_

_I hope I got all of them right-_

_"_ Mikasa." I covered my cheeks with my sleeves and my eyes went wide as he shifted closer to sit right next to me.

"Y-Yes?" He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a kiss on my forehead. 

"I love it." I let out a small sigh of relief and hugged him back. He let me go and I could see that his eyes were a bit wet too. He didn't usually cry about these types of things which made me a bit surprised.

"Hey," he blinked rapidly to get rid of the tears. "I'm sorry I didn't get to make you one. I got impatient with the first one and kind of gave up. I promise I'll make you one, though!" 

"It's alright, take your time," I smiled. As long as he liked it that was all that mattered to me.

I wanted to see what flowers Armin used for my one so I took it off. I was overwhelmed by how many there were. The one that stood out most was the cornflower. All of the crowns had one, which I think showed a lot about the strength of our friendship. Yarrow, daisies, agrimony. Chamomile and lavender were there too. _Relaxation and elegance._ I noticed he had put forget-me-nots. _Remember me. I'm always here for you._

Yellow and white seemed to be the most prevalent colours in all of our crowns, which made me happy considering the colours are typically associated with joy and purity. Some associate yellow with cowardice, but all three of us know that we're strong and brave in our own ways.

It was my turn to cry now. 

"Armin, it's beautiful! And how did you find the lavender? It smells so nice!" 

"I don't know, I just came across it. I was quite surprised myself!" He laughed as I gave him a hug in return.

I put the crown on my head and looked at both of them. I haven't smiled this much in so long, my cheeks were starting to hurt. But I didn't care. It's a shame that we don't have any paper or pencils at home so I could draw Armin and Eren with their crowns, but it didn't matter. I won't ever forget this day.

"Come here, you two," I said and hugged both of them.

"Thank you so much," I whispered. "Not just for the crowns. But for everything you've done for me. You're like brothers to me and words could never describe how much I love you." We sat together, none of us wanting to move. I could feel Armin's hair tickling my face and Eren resting his head on top of mine. Their soft breaths made their chests rise and fall, almost sending me to sleep again. They were the only two people in this world who could make me feel truly safe, no matter where we went. If I could stay like this forever, I would.


End file.
